


A Happy Little Christmas

by ImOutOfMyVulcanMind (LoopyLu94)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jason is soft, Neither Jason or Reader cheated though, Reader's ex did, and dramatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21961834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoopyLu94/pseuds/ImOutOfMyVulcanMind
Summary: Not many people could say they’re friends with the Red Hood, but you could, even if it came about in an unusual way. But after a shitty start to Christmas, you realize there may be more feelings going unspoken.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 189





	A Happy Little Christmas

It started in the new year. You’d been sitting under the small alcove on the rooftop of your apartment building, drinking tea as you watched the snowfall and enjoying the peace when he’d sprung up and landed in front of you. You hadn’t screamed, but your tea nearly spilled which earned him a telling off. He had just looked at you, though you swore you heard a chuckle, then took off at a sprint, leaping off the edge and out of sight. 

It happened again a few weeks later. Same scenario, though this time you kept a firmer grasp on the tea. That time he spoke, saying that most people ran away when he appeared. You had shrugged, asking if he wanted something to drink. There had been a moment of silence before he laughed like you’d told the funniest joke. Then he said no and disappeared into the night once again. 

It just kept happening. Sporadic at first. Sometimes he’d appear a few times a week, other times it would be near a month. Each time you offered him a drink. Each time he found the whole thing amusing and declined. 

Until the summer when he showed up out of breath, no doubt near-boiling under his outfit in the muggy Gotham night. You’d offered some of the iced tea, and to your surprise, he’d accepted. 

And that was how you make tea drinking pals with the damned Red Hood. 

Things became a bit more regular after that. No schedule but you nearly always saw him once a week. It was kinda weird. Being friends with the guy the majority of Gotham’s underworld was terrified of. 

But with you, he was kind of a dork. 

Proven when he’d spent near two hours ranting about an awful Shakespeare adaptation he’d watched. The fact that you were able to rant with him seemed to just spur him on more. 

You looked forward to those nights. Even if it was barely an hour before he got called away. You didn’t know his name, or what he looked like minus the domino mask, but you’d gleaned enough small details about him and given away enough about yourself to see him as a friend. 

Christmas Eve came and you hadn’t seen him since the start of the month. He’d been away doing something important, he’d told you as much prior to his leaving, mostly so you didn’t end up worrying over a sudden absence. He said he’d be back by Christmas, but honestly, you weren’t really expecting to see him. 

You’d learned enough over the months to know that the rest of Gotham’s vigilantes were about the only family he had, even if he did seem to be fighting the Bat just as often as he helped him. The history you didn’t know, but you figured if he was going to be anywhere, he’d be with them. 

So when he landed silently in the snow it was a surprise. When he slipped on a patch of slush and landed face first in said snow, it was even more of a surprise. 

You snorted so hard you nearly choked on the hot cocoa you were drinking. He bolted up, hand going to the gun strapped to his thigh. He saw you and relaxed immediately. 

“Often find people falling funny, angel?” He asked, boots crunching in the thick layer of snow as he walked towards you. 

“Usually? No. When it’s someone like you? Fucking hilarious.”

You could just imagine his eyes narrowing under the red helmet. 

Hood stepped under the alcove, brushing the snow off his jacket, and removing the helmet so he was down to just the black domino. You poured out some of the coca into a spare cup you’d brought just out of habit and handed it over once he’d taken a seat next to you. 

“Cinnamon flavor? Fancy.”

“Felt like splashing out.” You sipped at your own, enjoying the warmth that seeped into you. “Things go okay?" 

"Without a hitch.”

“Good. Didn’t get hurt then?”

He looked at you moment then shook his head. “Nah. Why? You worry about me, angel?" 

You felt yourself blush, grateful that any change of skin color could be put down to the cold. "Who else am I gonna bitch about shitty TV adaptations to?" 

Hood laughed, head tilted back. "Don’t worry about me. I’ll always be around for that.”

You fell silent, watching the falling snow that soon masked the evidence of his arrival. It was nice having him back. You’d missed him, but until now you hadn’t quite realized how much. 

“Gotta admit I wasn’t expecting you to be here tonight. Weren’t you meant to be skipping town with your betrothed?” Hood asked after several minutes of peaceful quiet. 

“Yeah,” you sighed, looking down into your half-empty mug. “Showing up to your fiancé’s apartment to find him in bed with his girlfriend tends to change plans.”

In the corner of your eye, you spotted Hood’s hand clench a little tighter around his cup. “Son of a bitch.”

“Exactly what I said,” you laughed, the sound coming out hollow. 

“Tell me where he is and I’ll pay him a visit, teach him a lesson, break a few bones. For you, I’ll even make him disappear.”

Maybe you should’ve been shocked or disturbed at the offer, but you weren’t. If anything it actually helped to know Hood had your back like that. “Two weeks ago and I might’ve taken you up on that. But he’s had enough punishment. Turns out his other girlfriend didn’t know he was engaged, so she dumped his ass, and when his family heard they uninvited him, so he’s not the only one with a wrecked Christmas.”

Hood hummed, still sounding unhappy. “If he comes near you again I’m finding him anyway.”

“He comes around again and I won’t try and stop you.”

“So you really don’t have any other plans for tomorrow?" 

You shook your head, "I could’ve gone to my family, but it was impossible to get a ticket that didn’t cost a small fortune. It doesn’t matter. Not the first Christmas by myself and I doubt it’ll be the last.”

“Well, you’ve got my handsome self to keep you company.”

You chuckled, nudging his shoulder with your own playfully. “Speaking of handsome.” You said, dipping into your pocket and pulling out the twenty-five bucks you had stashed in it. “Here, your half of the bet win. Thanks for letting me snap that photo.”

“The non-candid, candid,” he laughed in return, taking the cash. “Can’t believe you bet that I was handsome under the helmet.”

Shrugging a shoulder you smiled, “They started it. Now there’s a whole conversation on who’s more handsome, you or Nightwing.”

“I’m sure I know how those conversations go. With an ass like his it always only goes one way.”

“You’ve always got me in your corner.”

“Really?" 

"Course.”

Hood smiled and you wished you could see his eyes to see what he was thinking. He was looking at you, and even with the mask, it was difficult not to squirm away from the intensity. He leaned in closer and your breath caught. 

Then he was pulling back, hand coming to his ear. “I’m two blocks away, I can be there in five,” he said in response to whatever the person in his ear told him. He dropped his hand and set the empty cup down. “Gotta go.”

You’d already guessed. Hardly the first time. “It was good seeing you.”

He smiled again and nodded before pulling the red helmet back on. “See you around.” A mock salute and he was taking off at a run towards the edge of the roof. 

“Hey, Red!” You called suddenly, dashing out under the alcove after him. He paused at the edge and looked back at you. “Be careful, alright? This Christmas has been shit enough without you getting hurt.”

“Just for you, angel.” And he was gone, disappearing into the night once again. 

~

Christmas Day was as dull as you’d expected it to be. The first part of the day was spent flopped on the sofa watching dumb Christmas movie after dumb Christmas movie. It wasn’t bad necessarily but didn’t exactly fill you with fun Christmas spirit either. 

It was mid-afternoon when someone knocked at your door. You were tempted to ignore it, but the curiosity of who would be calling at random on Christmas got the best of you. 

“I…how did you know which flat was mine?" 

Hood stood on the other side, sans helmet, with an eyebrow raised. "Wasn’t hard to find the tenant roster. Merry Christmas to you too by the way.”

Right. You stepped aside to let him in. “Second question; what are you doing here?" 

He held up the bag he was holding. "Swiped a couple plates of food for us.”

“You…what?" 

"We do this thing where we get together with way too much food, eat some of it and usually end up arguing within two hours. Figured this year I’d shake it up.”

“You ditched them? To be here?”

“They didn’t mind. The Bat even graced us with one of the good bottles of wine.”

You were quiet. He’d given up time with his family to be with you instead. Even if they argued that was still a big thing. A big choice. One you wouldn’t make for just anybody. 

“I can go if you’d rather.” He actually looked a little nervous. 

“No! No, that sounds perfect. Thank you.”

He smiled, glanced around the apartment then made a beeline for the kitchenette. You didn’t even need to tell him to make himself at home. He did that all by himself. He pulled out the containers of food he’d brought, immediately shushing you when you offered to help. 

So you sat, watching as he moved around, occasionally pointing him in the right direction of utensils he needed. He looked at ease, normal almost without the guns. Or most of them. He had one hidden under his jacket that was revealed when he shrugged it off. If he’d been completely unarmed you would’ve suspected a body snatcher situation though. You only wished he didn’t have the mask on still. 

Though maybe that was for the best. It would be too personal, and you weren’t entirely sure you could handle personal. 

In the months you’d known him you’d only ever seen him as a friend. Yeah, you admitted he was handsome, but never thought of him like that. You’d loved your fiancé, and it never entered your head to stray. But then the break up happened, and in the last couple of weeks, you’d found yourself thinking about Hood more. In the long lonely nights, you’d wished for him to be next to you. Wished he’d come home early, find you crying and hug you so tight you could barely breathe. The thoughts had trailed to him kissing you, touching you. You’d tried to brush the thoughts off, told yourself it was just a fantasy your broken heart wanted. But seeing him the previous night, the way he’d leaned in…maybe it wasn’t a fantasy. 

Hood finished doing up the two plates and drew you back from your thoughts. 

You set up the table and popped open the bottle of wine. It really was a good bottle, confirming the theory you had that the Bat definitely had some money behind him. Just as you were done pouring the glasses, he came around you and placed the plates down. 

“Whoever made this deserves a damned medal,” you groaned after the first bite. 

He laughed, “I’ll pass it on.”

The meal was delicious, the company even better. It was relaxed with him, and you realized you’d never quite felt at home with someone as you did with Hood. It made you wonder what it would be like if you fully knew each other.

Cleaning up together was easy. You moved around the other without issue, making short work of the dirty dishes. “Thank you for this, Red. It’s been good,” you said, turning to hand him the rest of his wine. 

He nodded, watching you a moment. “It’s Jason.”

That was unexpected. You smiled, holding out your glass to his. “Good to meet you, Jason.”

He clinked the glass and finished what was left in it. For a second you thought he was going to say more, but then he pulled back out of your space. “C'mon. The Muppets Christmas Carol is showing in a bit.”

You laughed because of course he liked that. You joined him on the sofa, throwing him the remote for him to get the right channel. His arm found its way across your shoulders, and somehow you found yourself leaning on his chest. 

He was warm and comfy and you were full and happy, so you really couldn’t be blamed when you fell to sleep. 

You woke up by yourself, head resting on the arm of the sofa with a blanket up to your shoulders. You rubbed at your eyes, finding your phone on the coffee table to check the time. It was surprisingly late. Jason was probably long gone. You tried to push the disappointment that you’d missed him away. 

“Good nap, sleeping beauty?" 

Nearly jumping out of your skin, you sat up to see Jason at the kitchen island with a glass of water. 

"Thought you were gone.”

“Nah. Took the night off so unless I’m needed, I’m free, and didn’t want to up and leave without saying goodbye.”

You smiled, keeping the blanket wrapped around you as you clambered off the sofa. “You could’ve woken me.”

“You looked peaceful.” He stood, pouring you some water of your own. You could feel him eye you up as you drank like he was weighing something up. “Do you trust me?" 

The question was a surprise, but you didn’t even need to think of the answer. "Completely.”

“A lot would say not to.”

“Screw those people.”

“I’m dangerous. I’ve killed people.”

“Bad people. Jason, I know this. I knew it before we even met.”

“Yet you still offered me tea.”

“Because I trusted you. It’s never been a doubt that I could.”

Jason smiled, “Thank you.”

“Where’d this come from?" 

He sighed, pausing a moment. "I needed to know, for sure, before-” he reached up and peeled off the domino mask, letting it flutter to the floor. 

Holy shit he was handsome. The mask had only been covering his eyes but it had been hiding so much. Jason was gorgeous, beautiful, but it wasn’t just that that was tugging at your heart. It was the fact that he’d just trusted you with his entire fucking identity. You wondered how many outside of the vigilante group knew. You doubted there were many if any. 

Reaching up you carefully brushed one of the curls that were flopping into his eyes away. “Thank you. For trusting me.”

“I can count the number of people I trust on one hand. You’re one of them, angel.”

“And I won’t break it, I promise.” Your hand came to rest on his cheek, and he actually leaned into it. “Guess I was right after all. You are the handsome one.”

Jason laughed, “Don’t let Nightwing hear you say that. You’ll hurt his feelings.”

“Don’t care. I’m not in the habit of lying.”

“How honest of you.” Jason stepped closer, into your space fully, one hand coming to land on your hip. “You’re beautiful, Y/N.”

You blushed, turning your head away. “Not beautiful enough to stop the person meant to love me fucking someone else.”

“Hey, look at me.” His free hand came to tilt your head up. “You are beautiful and if that bastard was too fucking blind to see it, that’s on him, not you. He didn’t deserve you, and you’re better off without him. The fact that he willingly threw what you had away…it makes me angry. If you were-” Jason cut himself off suddenly. 

“If I were what?”

He swallowed, “If you were mine…I’d make sure I told you how much I loved you every single day. I’d do everything I could to make you happy, to make sure you stayed happy. I’d go to the end of the world and back to ensure it. And if I couldn’t, if there was a problem that meant I couldn’t make you smile and laugh, I’d fix it. No matter what it took. I’d treat you the way you deserve to be, love you the way you should be loved, and never hurt you because that would be worse than hurting myself. If you were mine seeing you smile would be the best part of my day. Knowing that I was keeping you safe would give me even more reason to keep doing what I do, and knowing I was coming home to you would be my reason for making sure I did it and stayed alive.”

He stopped and it was then you realized that your cheeks were wet. Jason took a breath and looked away. “Sorry. You’ve been through enough, I shouldn’t have said-”

You kissed him. Tangled your fingers in his curls and kissed him. Hard. His arms wrapped around you on instinct, pressing you close to his body. 

“Y/N-”

“No one…no one’s ever spoken to me like that, said those things. Do…do you…?”

“Yeah.” The word came out a whisper. “But Y/N, you just got out of a relationship, I don’t want to push you into another.”

“Have I ever seemed the type of person to be pushed into something? Maybe I should need more time, and if I didn’t know you, didn’t trust you, I’d probably turn and run. But the truth is I want this. I want you. I’m just surprised you want me back.”

“I’ve wanted you for months. Just never said anything. Wasn’t planning to either. Especially not today, so soon after. My only intention coming here was to make you happy.”

“And you succeeded.”

A hand cupped your cheek, those stunning eyes meeting yours, “You’re sure? About this?" 

"I’ve never been more sure.” You leaned in for another kiss, clutching at his shoulders with a squeak when you suddenly found yourself being hoisted up onto the kitchen counter, with Jason between your legs.

“Sure like kissing me, babydoll, and you don’t even have any mistletoe. Pretty sure that’s against Christmas rules,” he teased, pressing his forehead to yours. 

“We can stop if you feel so strongly about it.”

Jason nipped at your bottom lip, then trailed kisses along your jaw and up to your ear. “Angel, I have every intention of kissing you for as long as you’ll let me, mistletoe be damned.”

“Good.” Turning your head you caught him in another kiss, smiling into it. You weren’t even sure the last time you’d felt this damned happy. How things had gone from the worst to this in just a couple weeks, you didn’t know, or what you’d done to deserve such luck. But you were never going to complain. Not when you had Jason kissing you with such ferocious tenderness you were sure you were going to melt. 

Breaking the kiss and pulling back enough to look up at him, you grinned. “I’m pretty sure I might have an old bunch in the bedroom though.”

Jason returned the grin, hands coming to grip your thighs as he lifted you from the counter with ease. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

“Merry Christmas, babe.”


End file.
